Coast Guard: Bridge takes slight damage from towboat

U.S. Coast Guard employees were dispatched to Cape Girardeau on Monday morning to investigate an incident in which a towboat from the Missouri Barge Line struck the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, slightly damaging the structure.

The incident took place around 6:30 a.m., according to Lt. Brad Hannon, spokesman for the Coast Guard.

A crane sat atop the towboat, and initial reports indicate the equipment was extended too high on the vessel to be traveling near the bridge, Hannon said.

The crane struck a conduit, causing damage, said battalion chief Brian Shaffer of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

Hannon referred to the incident as an "allision," meaning a moving vessel struck a stationary structure, as opposed to a collision, which involves two moving objects.

"We respond to all bridge allisions," Hannon said.

Allisions are generally not common occurrences. Hannon said in two years with the Coast Guard, he couldn't recall one occurring at the Emerson bridge.

A cursory examination of the bridge revealed damage to a traveler rail underneath the structure used for inspection purposes, said Mike Helpingstine, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Transportation.

That section will need repairs, as will a high-voltage bridge cable that powered the aesthetic lighting on the bridge, Helpingstine said.

The roadway lighting and the navigational lights on the bridge are still working, but the aesthetic lighting is currently not functioning.

MoDOT will likely need to call in an emergency contractor to handle the repairs.

Although a cost estimate was not available, Helpingstine said the job won't be easy, and the cost will likely run high because of the damage to the traveler rail, which is also used to make these types of repairs.

A crew has been mobilized from Jefferson City, Mo., to perform further inspection today with the use of a vehicle called a "snooper" that allows workers to inspect areas under the bridge, Helpingstine said.

"We're looking into this actively," said Mark Carr of the Missouri Barge Line.

The bulk of the investigation will be handled by the Coast Guard, because they have regulatory responsibility, Carr said.

The crane suffered some mechanical damage, and the company had a surveyor examine it to assess how extensive it was, he said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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